A lesson in how to be brilliant…

Sarah Loves This is very much about making the best of everything and not about having the best of everything. Having everything is your ego niggling at you to strive to have more, do more, be more.

It’s about seeing the happiness in situations and making the most of this precious gift we’re all given called life.

The person whose story this is is called Andy Cope and he is the co-author of a book (and at the time) an initiative called Be Brilliant Every Day.

It’s a story that has a lovely meaning and when you read it you’ll see what I mean.

A few years ago, I was working in South Africa and put up in a nice hotel in Durban. I wasn’t jet-lagged, merely knackered. My mobile phone battery was low and I didn’t have my charger, so I was saving its juice to call home. I booked an early-morning wake-up call, explaining to the desk that 7:00am would befine.

6:45am – phone rang. I thrashed around in the dark and picked it up, not quite sure what to expect. It was a smiley man with a black voice “Good Morning Mr Andrew Cope. If I may be so bold as to call you Mr Andrew?”

“Morning” I grunted. “Who is this?”

“Robin, sir. This is your early-morning call, Robin-style sir.”

“Err, thanks Robin.” But he wasn’t finished.

“You requested 7:00am Mr Andrew, but it’s only 6:45. And that is because we have a wonderful South African breakfast waiting for you sir. I figure you’d need a little extra time to enjoy it.”

“Thanks Robin. That’s err, very kind,” now more than half awake.

“And Mr Andrew, you need to know that it’s a chilly morning so please wear a sweater. I wouldn’t want you catching a chill and taking it back to dear old Eeengland.”

“No” I chuckled, “that’d never do.” And he still wasn’t finished.

“So, before I go, Are there any taxis you need me to book or arrangements I can help you with this morning Mr Andrew?

I was sitting up and smiling. “No thanks Robin. And you can call me Andy. I’ll see you downstairs in a few minutes.”

“Excellent Mr Andy. And I know you’re going to have a fabulous day.” I could hear him grinning down the phone.

I had a Cheshire Cat look about me as I leapt into the shower; got dresses and skipped downstairs. I sought out Robin at reception. Nope Concierge? And then I heard him, outside “… and I hope you have a fabulous day.”

Robin was the bell boy! His job was to meet, greet and carry cases. He also did wake-up calls. In hotel terms he was the lowest rung of the corporate ladder.

And I’ve never met a happier man!”

So there you have it. You don’t need to change your circumstance to change your life, but what you do need to do is change your mindset to support you make the best of every situation.

“In case you forgot to remind yourself this morning… you have a brilliant mind. Your thoughts create your reality. Your smiles lights up a room. You’re not as fat as you think. You’re doing a brilliant job of this life you’re living. Don’t let the outside world affect your inside being. Always speak to yourself with kind words. AND never forget to love yourself.”